One of the concerns in agricultural animal confinement facilities, particularly in the agricultural swine industry, is the control of the spread of disease. For example, disease agents such as mycoplasma, the swine influenza virus, and the porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) have had a significant negative impact on swine production. It has been estimated that PRRSV alone may increase the average cost of swine production by $5.60 to $7.62 per head.
One method that has proven effective is reducing the spread of the aforementioned disease agents is filtration of the air in animal confinement facilities. For example, high-efficiency air filters have proven to be effective at reducing the rate of airborne transmission of these disease agents. One of the challenges for the swine production industry is how to best provide the needed high-efficiency air filtration in a practical manner at the lowest cost, with ease of filter change out, and with reliability for the environmental application.
V-bank filters have been used in applications involving air filtration in animal confinement facilities where both large amounts of filtration media and high air flow rates are desired. A V-bank filter typically includes two or more pairs of panel filters, for example, where each pair of adjacent panel filters is arranged in a V-shaped configuration. In these applications, the panel filters typically include pleated filter media.
It is also desired to maintain the flow of air within an animal confinement building within the laminar range to reduce energy required to move the air throughout and into the building.
Embodiments of the present invention are directed toward improvements over the state of the art.